A million little days
by Magdelope
Summary: Okay, mass effect kindergarten AU, anyone? Has most of the characters, everyone is human.


"Jane, don't run!" Hannah Shepard called after her daughter but the red-haired girl didn't listen as she pulled away from her mother's grip and went into the classroom, looking around. There were just two more boys there so far, playing with lego and she immidiately joined them.

"Sorry," Hannah said to the teacher who was standing with a list of names, checking it as pupils were arriving.

"No problem," the teacher smiled, "it's good that she's excited for the first day. It's difficult for some of the children."

The mother nodded mindlessly as she put her daughter's jacket on the hook and putting the superman backpack on the shelf.

"Jane," the mom called into the room one more time, "I'm leaving now, okay? I'll see you after work."

"Yes, mom," the girl said without looking up; instead she reached out and grabbed a big red piece and put it on top of whatever it was she was building.

"Hey," her mom called again, "where is my kiss?"

The teacher smiled as the girl sighed and stood up, dragging her feet over to her mother to give her the requested kiss. The girl then ran right back to her friends and continued building. Since there weren't so many children their yet, the teacher went and sat down with them, hoping that it would be easy getting to know them.

"Are you building a gun?" She asked Jane as the girl fastened another piece to her little construction. The girl laughed.

"It's not a gun, miss," she said, "it's an m16. My father has one."

"Oh," the teacher just replied, not sure what to say and then went out to the hallway as more parents and children were arriving. She smiled at the dad who was infront, with a pretty dark-haired girl behind him. The dad did not return the smile but rather just grimaced at her and then turned to the girl who looked scared.

"Now, Miranda," he said in a stern voice, "say good morning to your teacher."

"Good morning, miss, "the girl said keeping her eyes down and making it impossible for the teacher to make some kind of eye-contact.

"So this is Miranda," the teacher said and held out her hand for the girl. Miranda whined a little and grabbed her father's hand, looking down and clearly terrified at the idea of starting kindergarten. Her father had no patience with her behaviour, he ripped his hand from her grip and pushed her forward, not even noticing her blue eyes filling with tears.

"Children," he scoffed and then nodded to the teacher and left. The woman just looked at him, hardly believing the scene that had just played out before her. She took Miranda's hand.

"We're going to have fun today, don't you worry," she said in an attempt to cheer the girl up but Miranda just stood by her side, silently crying. She hadn't even attempted to run after her dad like some children did. The teacher suspected that she was used her dad's unnatural coldness.

Another girl had alos arrived accompanied by two women. The taller woman looked rather annoyed but smiled at her daughter when the daughter obediently read her name over her hook and shelf.

"Lii..lii aa r a."

"Good girl," the shorter woman smiled and then waved at the teacher.

"Good morning, good morning." the teacher said and then smiled at Liara. The girl pushed up her thick glasses and then looked at Miranda, who was still standing next to the teacher, with interest. Her crying had subsided into a dry sobbing but she was still clearly upset.

"So this is Liara T'soni?" The teacher asked and checked the list for the girl's name.

"Actually," the shorter women interjected, " it's Liara T'soni- Callis. That's my name, Aethyta Callis. We're divorced. I knew you would only register your name."

The other woman sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You just have to bring that up all the time," she muttered, "she's going to think we're weird."

"Sure she won't," Aethyta said and shook the teacher's hand very enthusiastically.

"I'm Benezia," the other woman said and even though she looked strained she smiled and also shoock the teacher's hand. Then they both hugged Liara and started to go out. Liara looked into the room, seeing Jane playing with the boys but then she noticed the crying girl by the teacher's side.

"Miss," Liara said, "why is that girl crying?"

"This is Miranda," the teacher said, "she is a bit sad today."

Liara smiled at Miranda.

"Want to play?" She asked. Miranda didn't answer at first but then nodded. The teacher sighed in relief as the girls went into the room together but then straightened up as the next wave of parents and children were arriving.

…

The teacher sighed as she closed the door, eyeing the students who were now sitting at the desk. Jane and the boys called Wrex and Garrus were still whispering amongst themselves but a stern look from the teacher caused them to quiet down.

"Good," the teacher said and beamed at them," We will start now with a roll call to make sure everyone is here. When I call your name, you raise your hand and also say yes. Now, Diana Allers?"

"Here."

"Great, Khalisah Al-jilani?"

"Yes."

"Good, Maya Brooks?"

"Yes, miss."

"Steve Cortez?"

Nobody answered, the teacher looked up and noticed that a couple of boys weren't paying attention but rather making funny faces at each other.

"Steve Cortez, is he here?" She tried again, louder this time and a boy lifted his head up.

"Yes, yes, yes," he said while nodding his head and making his new friends laugh.

"Pay attention," the teacher continued, "and no talking during assembly. Kasumi Goto?"

"Yes."

"Kai Leng?"

"Yeah."

"Perfect, Miranda Lawson?"

"Yes, miss."

"Jaqueline Nought?"

Silence.

"Jaqueline? Anybody with the name Jaqueline?"

Nobody answered and the teacher eventually put a red line next to the girl's name.

"Jane Shepard."

"Yes!"

"Mordin Solus? Mordin? Mordin?"

Eventually the boy who had been standing by the window went to sit down.

"Yes," he said, but still did not look at the teacher.

"Good, Thea Tevos?"

"Yes, miss."

"Good. Samantha Traynor?"

"Here, miss."

"Liara T'soni-Callis?"

"Yes."

"Garrus Vakarian."

"I'm here, miss."

"James Vega?" The boy who had been making funny faces at Steve, lifted his hand up and yelled.

"YEEEEES."

"It's good that you answered but no yelling. Ashley Williams?"

"Yes."

"Kaiden… Williams?"

"Yes miss. We're twins."

"Lovely. And last Wrex Urdnot?"

"Yes," one of the boys sitting close to Jane said. The teacher opened her mouth to start going through the rules when there was angry voices outside, a baby screaming and the voice of a seemingly tired woman.

"Just knock on the door, Jack."

"I don't want to! You do it."

"I can't do it. I'm holding Alyssa."

The teacher went to open the door and was greeted with the visual of a very angry child in a pair of ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. Her mother was holding the bellowing infant in one hand and a plain backpack in the other.

"Hello," the mother said and looked absolutely exhausted, "I'm Jaqueline's foster mom. I'm sorry we're late, my husband is ill and I had three other children to drop of before coming here."

"No problem, it is understandable," the teacher said and then smiled at the girl, "hello Jaqueline, you arrived right on time. You can…"

"My name is Jack," the girl said in a cold voice, still standing on her own with her arms crossed over her chest, "and I don't want to be here."

The woman who was holding the baby looked like she was close to tears.

"Please Jack," she practically begged, "just be _good_. Okay? I'll pick you up in the afternoon."

"Whatever," Jack replied and didn't even look up. Her foster mom looked at the teacher with a defeated expression.

"I'm sorry," she said even as the teacher shook her head, "Jaqueline has only stayed with us for a couple of weeks. The transition has been difficult, she…"

"Don't worry about it," the teacher interuppted her before the foster mom said something that would make Jack even angrier, "we're going to have a good day. Just go. We can talk more this afternoon."

The woman smiled gratefully and then called good bye to Jack and left. Jack didn't reply but rather just stood still. The teacher had never encountered such a young child who radiated so much hate and anger; she must have had a difficult life until now.

"Come in," she said to the girl and showed her door in to the class room. She didn't dare to phrase it as a question, lest the girl refused. Jack nodded and started walking towards the room even if she did so without enthusiasm and dragged her feet behind her. She found an empty chair next to Miranda and sat down; even as the other girl looked at her torn clothing and angry face and tried to move her chair further away from her.

"Okay," the teacher said, "now that everybody is here, we can start."

…

During breaktime Jane asked Wrex and Garrus if they wanted to play soldiers and immidiately ran off towards the football field, closely followed by some of the other boys. A group of the girls had headed towards the playground, leaving Liara, Miranda, Jack, Thea and Mordin in the hallway, putting on their shoes.

"Want to play archaeologists?" Liara asked the others and continued smiling even as Jack didn't look at her.

"What is that?" Thea asked carefully.

"You dig up stuff and then you look at it. You can find treasue and bones and…"

"That sounds stupid." The three girls and Mordin looked at Jack who had tied both her shoes and now was just sitting by the stairs. Liara didn't stop smiling but her voice was a bit strained, and hurt, when she continued.

"It's not stupid," she said, "one of my moms is an archaeologist."

"One of your moms?" Jack asked in a mocking voice, "freak."

"Don't be mean!" Miranda snapped at her.

"Why not?" Jack asked, "she is a freak. She has two mommies."

Liara had started sobbing so Miranda took hold of one of her hands and Thea took the other and started pulling Liara away from there. Mordin looked unsure for a moment but then called out after them.

"Wait, I want to play too."

They left Jack sitting on the stairs, looking completely unfaced.

The girls and Mordin went to a secluded part of the playground, where there was a sandpit. They started digging in the sand under the instruction of Liara.

"Your mom does this?" Miranda asked and Liara nodded.

"One of them. The other is a politician."

"What does that mean?" Thea asked.

"That means she talks with people," Mordin replied as he accidently got sand in his shoes and ripped it off, "and makes rules, that's what my dad said."

"Is it weird that I have two moms?" Liara asked softly. She wasn't sobbing anymore, playing had helped, but she still had a nagging doubt in the pit of her stomach. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and whined when she got sand on her cheek from her dirty hands.

"No it's not," Miranda said, refusing to get her hands dirty and just watching the others, "I only have a dad. I wish I had two moms."

"What are you doing here?" A strange voice made the children look up. It was an older pupil, maybe eight years old, with black curly hair, "you're ruining it!" She then pushed Liara and Thea of off the sand.

"What did we do?" Thea said as she stood up, furious and with sand in her hair as she had fallen over when the older pupil had pushed her.

The older student rolled her eyes and smirked at the girl.

"Kids!" She exclaimed, "you don't understand anything. This is where me and my friends play, okay?"

"It's just a sandpit," Thea tried again, as Liara, Mordin and Miranda stood by and watched, all equally terrified of the older girl.

"Want me to push you again?" She asked and chuckled as the children took one step backwards, "good. Now go."

Thea tried one more time.

"We were here first."

The older girl chuckled again and opened her mouth.

"No," she said and took a step forward, "you were not. We were here first and…"

"Aria T'loak!" Thea sighed in relief as their teacher came to their rescue, "tell me I did not just see you push them?"

Aria looked down, still young enough to be intimidated by the mere precence of the teacher and shook her head.

"Yes, she did," Thea said and the others chimed in, "she said she was here first but she wasn't, because we were and…"

"Liar!" Aira growled and put her face close to Thea's. The younger girl went quiet immidiately and looked to her teacher for help.

"Aria!" The teacher said again and grabbed her arm, "I think it is time for you and me to have another talk, don't you?" She then preceded to walk away with the fuming Aria.

"Let's keep playing," Mordin suggested and soon they were deep in their game again, both Jack and Aria forgotten.

* * *

_Are people interested in seeing more? I have an idea of writing some days of schooling here and there until about seventh or eight grade._


End file.
